Serrekunda MP Halifa Sallah said on Wednesday it’s funny deputy speaker while presiding as speaker insisted a ‘dead’ constitution can be reintroduced at the national assembly.
Momodou Sanneh refused to entertain Sallah this week when he requested permission to move a motion for the scrapping of the decision by the House to throw out the draft constitution bill in September to pave the way for a fresh process.
And on Wednesday, Sallah at a news conference explained: “And why did I introduce it? Since we have power to rescind a decision during a session, now we wanted to create a precedent that will also enable us to rescind a decision of another session. That’s all I was seeking from the speaker and from the national assembly members.
“And why was that necessary? Because they’re talking about the constitution building process, they even invited an international delegation. To do what? What mediation? This is about a bill to be brought to the national assembly, to be decided by three- quarters majority before we can proceed to the next stage and even to a referendum. That is a parliamentary matter.
“You needed a consultation between the executive and parliament to resolve this matter. Now when I introduced that motion, the speaker’s ruling is that I have not proven urgency. That is one. But what is more fundamental to me is that at the end of the ruling, the speaker strayed into a matter that is purely for the judiciary and not for parliament.
“The speaker indicated that this matter… The constitution having been blocked is now dead. But what is funny, a constitution that is dead, the speaker is saying that it can be reintroduced. Something that is dead, you will breather life into it and introduce it again by cabinet or by members of the national assembly. This is the second coming of a constitution.
“Where in the constitution has it said under Section 101 or Standing Order 62 where it says that a bill may be introduced by the president, vice president, a minister or a member of the national assembly. ‘May be introduced’. But there is no statement that talks about reintroduction. Wherever you reintroduce something then that is not dead. And this is where their flaw lies in interpretation. Because what is dead cannot be reintroduced. And that’s what I recognised, that by our decision in September, they killed the constitution.”
